Cheating on time cards or cheating on a drug test are considered criminal activity. Employer concern about employees cheating on their work schedule when they work remotely is not criminal but does it negatively impact productivity or even just the employees commitment to their company? Portia Twidt of Marietta, George said, “They feel like we’re not working if they can’t see us. It’s a boomer power-play.” Here are four reasons why employers should support remote work for their employees.
Increased Productivity
A 2014 Stanford University study on 16,000 Chinese call center employees found a 13% increase in performance for those employees working from home. Nine percent of that increase was due to working MORE minutes due to fewer breaks and sick days. Four percent was due to making more calls per minute. Interestingly, when the study was over, the company allowed employees to choose working from home or working in the office and about half of the employees switched where they were working. Some went remote and others returned to the office. Giving workers the choice, not just measuring the remote workers, improved productivity by 22%.
Reduced Attrition
When employees chose the work environment they preferred, specifically remote work, employee attrition went down by 50% in the Stanford study. A real or perceived improvement in work-life balance helps employees avoid burnout and takes away a reason to look for a new job. A May 2021 Bloomberg News survey of 1000 U.S. adults found that 39% would consider quitting if their employers didn’t support remote work. If only millennials and generation z adults were considered that figure went up to 49%. A FlexJobs survey said 84% of their respondents felt the top perk of remote work was no commute which also contributed to lower job stress and cost savings as well.
Larger Hiring Pool
Recruiting from anywhere in the U.S. opens up many more candidates than trying to find someone who can commute to the office on a daily basis. Some employers aren’t opening up their recruiting nationwide but to the four or five state region surrounding their office. Employees can visit the office on a monthly or quarterly basis without significant expense to improve team building and engagement levels.
Lower Per Employee Expenses
The real estate market has been crazy during the pandemic. As employees escaped more densely populated cities, the residential market for suburban and vacation homes shot up beyond any increase for the past 15 years. At the same time the commercial real estate market suffered. More employees working remotely means less office space required, as well as less heat, furniture, telecomm and even less technology as the need for at home and at work equipment goes away. Google even rolled out a “new internal calculator to explain potential pay cuts to employees who choose to work remotely” penalizing suburban staffers who left more expensive cities. A Google employee who previously commuted to their Manhattan office from Stamford, CT but now works 100% remote would see their salary slashed by 15%! Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are considering the same sort of salary adjustments.
Are you struggling with whether to work remotely or becoming one of the employers that should support remote work? Contact the Executive Recruiters at Smith Hanley Associates.
